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mandmandm · Oct 2, 2011, 04:38 AM

I was wondering if sleep apnea is hereditary?

tickle · Oct 2, 2011, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by mandmandm

Is sleep apnea hereditary?

Yes, it could be hereditary.

Tick

ScottGem · Oct 2, 2011, 09:06 AM

No, Sleep apnea is not hereditary. However, its causes may be associated with other conditions that are hereditary or even with medication used to treat such conditions.

JoeCanada76 · Oct 2, 2011, 10:08 AM

Actually there is lots of documentation out there about Sleep Apnea and there could be a possible link with heredity with this condition. In my family alone there are three people diagnosed with Sleep apnea. Also There are conditions that can aggravate this condition. For example, High blood pressure, being over weight, and other things that can contribute to problems with air flow. Also a Medical doctor looking at the size of your neck. The shorter your neck, the thicker your neck the more chances are you can develop or have sleep Apnea.

tickle · Oct 2, 2011, 10:22 AM

hi Scott, this is from the website 'sleapanealife.com':

Several studies have shown that individuals who have sleep apnea family histories also develop the problem themselves in their adult lives. Some even experience the onset of sleep apnea during childhood. The truth is sleep apnea can be very highly caused by heredity. If your family has a lot of sleep apneic candidates, then you might be too. If your immediate family members have sleep apnea and you are experiencing some similar symptoms, you might want to try having a sleep study scheduled for your assessment. However, allot some time to completely observe yourself, or at least have someone to do it for you. It’s a big step to take on a sleep study and it can be quite costly too, so make sure you’re really suffering from something worse than just night coughs or snoring.

Obstructive sleep apnea has a more probability of being hereditary as compared to central sleep apnea, especially because of the concept of craniofacial complex. This is the concept of the facial attributes of an individual very similarly constructed as with that of his immediate relative. Parents and children have many similar characteristics and if they look alike, it is not surprising that their facial attributes including the skull and facial structure are similar as well. If your father has obstructive sleep apnea because of enlarged tonsils or narrow sinus cavities, you may be suffering from the same problems if you two look alike.

This means that if sleep apnea runs in your family, there is a very high chance of you getting the disorder too. But this isn’t always the case. If you don’t have any symptoms, don’t fear the disorder yet even if your grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings have sleep apnea. You need an official diagnosis before you jump to any conclusions.

tickle · Oct 2, 2011, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by JoeCanada76

Actually there is lots of documentation out there about Sleep Apnea and there could be a possible link with heredity with this condition. In my family alone there are three people diagnosed with Sleep apnea. Also There are conditions that can aggravate this condition. For example, High blood pressure, being over weight, and other things that can contribute to problems with air flow. Also a Medical doctor looking at the size of your neck. The shorter your neck the more chances are you can develop or have sleep Apnea.

In my rounds throughout the community I have found that mother, daughter and siblings with sleep apnea in the same family. It just can't be a coincidence. Read my post on sleep apnea, Joe, siting the website.

Tick

ScottGem · Oct 2, 2011, 10:35 AM

I checked with the NIH and Mayo clinic sites before I posted. Neither listed heredity as a cause of sleep apnea. I very recently went for a sleep study, since my brother has it and we suspect my father had it (its only been diagnosed fairly recently), I explained this to the doctor who told me it's NOT hereditary. The reason some people think it may be is because people diagnosed with sleep apnea tend to also have other conditions that are hereditary as I explained in my answer.

I could find no clinical evidence showing a hereditary link.

This is from the About page of the site you quoted:
Hello, my name is Gregory Young. I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in June 2007. I have created Sleep Apnea Life to provide education and awareness about living with Sleep Apnea as well as to share my personal experiences. I am not a doctor. I am just someone who's life has been changed by this common, but very serious sleeping disorder.

I stand by my answer. I would be much more inclined to listen to my doctor, the Mayo Clinic and the NIH before this guy. Especially since that site is used to sell devices associated with sleep apnea.

JoeCanada76 · Oct 2, 2011, 10:53 AM

There is obviously no black and white answer. There is different of opinion in the medical field as well. Considering I have spoken and seen sleep clinic specialists myself. Also three of my family members. Also I said that there is a possible link to it being hereditary. Also certain hereditary conditions that could aggravate the sleep apnea condition is possible.

ScottGem · Oct 2, 2011, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by JoeCanada76

There is obviously no black and white answer.

Definition of heriditary:
He·red·i·tar·y (h-rd-tr)
adj.
Transmitted or capable of being transmitted genetically from parent to offspring.
hereditary - definition of hereditary in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Again, I could find NO clinical evidence that shows a genetic link to sleep apnea. My doctor was very surprised (so was I) when the sleep study showed I did not have sleep apnea. I have so many markers that are commonly associated with it.

The causes of sleep apnea are conditions that are or often associated with hereditary conditions. Hence, people believing it could be. But there are has been a lot of work in genetics over the last decade to identify genetic markers for diseases and other medical conditions. Without clinical evidence that sleep apnea is genetically transmitted, I stand by my statement that it is not hereditary.

tickle · Oct 2, 2011, 01:40 PM

Scott, I have no problem with you sticking to your guns; and I wholeheartedly agree with doctors' advise coming first. In my day to day work, my directions come from nurses and doctors and I have to follow to the letter in my care plans.

I will stick with my beliefs on sleep apnea related to hereditary.

Tick

JoeCanada76 · Oct 2, 2011, 01:44 PM

It is not just a belief. It is accepted... By many medical doctors. That there is a hereditary link. It is just a fact that there are links and that medical specialists see there is a link and also conditions that are in families that make it more possible to have sleep apnea is a fact. Plus there is still an on going studies about sleep apnea. There will be many more studies and answers on it as there are so many more cases coming to the forefront especially with family members.

ScottGem · Oct 2, 2011, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by tickle

I will stick with my beliefs on sleep apnea related to hereditary.

tick

Medical Science is not something subject to "beliefs". Even when doctors make diagnoses based on beliefs, they conduct tests to confirm it.

You can believe what you want, but you should not be making statements of medical fact based on belief.

Originally Posted by JoeCanada76

It is not just a belief. It is accepted... By many medical doctors. That there is a hereditary link. It is just a fact that there are links and that medical specialists see there is a link and also conditions that are in families that make it more possible to have sleep apnea is a fact. Plus there is still an on going studies about sleep apnea. There will be many more studies and answers on it as there are so many more cases coming to the forefront especially with family members.

Accepted by whom? Show me any clinical study or evidence that has established a genetic link for sleep apnea! This is science we are talking about. The true fact is that sleep apnea may APPEAR to be hereditary because its causes are linked to conditions that ARE hereditary. For example, diabetes, high blood pressure and being overweight. So if there is a family history of those conditions there is a greater likelihood that one may also have it. But that doesn't make it hereditary.

Yes, this is a fairly newly diagnosed condition. So there is still a lot of research being done on it. Maybe someone will discover a genetic link.

But my main problem with the advice the two of you are given is that it gives a false hope. If you say its hereditary and someone sees that with no family history, they may not get themselves properly checked. My second problem is you are claiming something is a fact without producing any clinical evidence to support it. When two recognized authorities like the Mayo Clinic and NIH do not mention heredity as a cause, I'm going to go with that rather than unsubstantiated beliefs.

JoeCanada76 · Oct 2, 2011, 06:58 PM

I will contact my Sleep Clinic Specialist and get the paper work.
There is a grey area. This is fairly new discovery and medical specialists are obviously not all in agreement.

I suggest the op whether he/she thinks it could be hereditary or not. Whether the condition is possibly linked to hereditary it is best to get a medical work up.

My medical specialists at the sleep clinic I go to. Also the three family members medical doctors can not all be wrong about the link between the two.

ScottGem · Oct 2, 2011, 07:28 PM

Please do so. I think you will find that you are misunderstanding what they are saying. I think you will find what I have been saying that the "link" between sleep apnea and heredity is due to hereditary conditions that are linked to sleep apnea, not sleep apnea itself.

If you can produce any clinical evidence that show a genetic link to sleep apnea then I will admit I'm wrong. Until then...

.

CliffARobinson · Oct 3, 2011, 12:31 AM

National Heart Lung & Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health:

If someone in your family has sleep apnea, you're more likely to develop it.

Mayo Clinic:

Family history. If you have family members with sleep apnea, you may be at increased risk.

Web MD - Sleep Apnea Health Center: (Risks)

Having a family history of sleep apnea

ScottGem · Oct 3, 2011, 04:07 PM

I've had the occasion to look at this thread again. And I'm going to try one more time to reach an understanding.

I am not saying that a family history of sleep apnea doesn't mean increased risk of having it. I've agreed that it does. But there is a scientific fact involved here. The definition of hereditary is that there is a genetic link. Without clinical evidence of that genetic link it cannot be hereditary.

There is clear evidence that a family history of having it increases one risk. I did not, in any way, want to minimize that. But the reasons a family history increases risk is because some of the conditions that contribute to sleep apnea are hereditary even while sleep apnea itself is not.

So to mandmandm, if you can return to explain why you asked, we may be able to help further. If you asked to determine if you may have it, please go to a competent physician or sleep center to be tested. If you do have a family history, then you are at increased risk.

But if you were asking from a clinical perspective, then the answer is no, its not.